Category: Health

Health

Pepper gas punishes even ‘Non-Protesters’

Editor

As the unrest in the Valley continues for more than a month now, it has not only killed or maimed residents, buts also affected the health of people who are just caged inside their homes due to frequent use of pepper gas and teargas shells. In Srinagar’s downtown where dozens of neighbourhoods are interconnected by alleys making it a reason for frequent stone-throwing incidents, the police frequently use pepper gas and teargas shells to disperse the protesters, which is affecting the health of residents even when they are inside their…

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Doctors appeal for donations; Pellet injuries

Editor

Due to non-availability of polycarbonate protective eyewear, over 300 youth hit by pellets are facing vision loss in one or both eyes. Doctors in Srinagar have appealed to people to help them procure the protective eyewear from outside the state. “We urgently need polycarbonate protective eyewear for over 300 youth hit by pellets in one or both eyes. If anyone wants to help, he/she can contact the SMHS Hospital authorities of Srinagar and save the youth from getting blind,” said a senior doctor at SMHSHospital. “After primary treatment, the patients…

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The ‘non-lethal’ pellet

Editor

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh responded to the outrage at the use of pellet guns by saying that he had set up a committee of experts to look into the alternatives, hinting that the government might ban the use of this otherwise “non-lethal weapon”. Since the killing of the Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8, over 200 young boys and girls have been struggling with their eyesight after being hit by pellets. At least 10 of them have been completely blinded; 40 per cent may not be able…

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Police spying on injured?

Editor

‘Many patients left SMHS hospital against medical advice because of fear of being spied’ SSP refutes allegations Fearing spying by police sleuths roaming around in civvies, many persons injured in police and CRPF action who were admitted at SMHS hospital have left the hospital against the medical advice of doctors. Of the 720 patients, who were admitted to SMHS hospital in past 25 days, only 64 are presently undergoing treatment there. “There is a lot of fear among patients here. They think they are being spied upon and police will…

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27 Youth admitted with nerve injuries

Editor

Shameema Lohar (22) from south Kashmir lays motionless on a bed at the neurosurgery ward of Super Specialty Hospital here. Shameema from Arwani village of Bijbehara — the hometown of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti —received a bullet in her abdomen during protests on July 9, a day after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Doctors at Super Specialty Hospital say that Shameema’s spinal cord has been damaged and she will remain paralysed for the rest of her life, if at all she survives. The bullet has entered through…

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Pellet guns should be reclassified as lethal weapons: Experts

Editor

Rubber bullets and pellet guns should be reclassified as lethal weapons as they cause significant damage to all the tissues of the limbs including the bones, according to a team of doctors. Rubber bullets are blunt-nosed with a muzzle velocity of around 70m/s and a kinetic energy of nearly 400J. A study by doctors of Srinagar’s SKIMS Medical College published in the Chinese Journal of Traumatology states that the degree of a wound would depend on the conditions under which the rubber bullets are fired. According to the study, shorter…

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‘Sites finalized for AIIMS in Jammu, Kashmir’

Editor

The Centre has finalised a site each in Jammu and Kashmir’s two divisions for setting up AIIMS in the wake of a row in the state last year with people in Jammu demanding the tertiary care institution be set up in that region. Two sites have been finalised for setting up AIIMS in Jammu and Kashmir—one at Vijaypur in Samba district in Jammu region and the other at Awantipora, Pulwama, in Kashmir region, Minister of State for Health Faggan Singh Kulaste told Rajya Sabha in a written reply. Sufficient fund…

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Seven member committee to explore alternatives to pellet guns

Editor

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Tuesday, approved the constitution of a seven-member expert committee for exploring possible alternatives to pellet guns as non-lethal weapons. The committee under the chairmanship of T V S N Prasad, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, will submit its report within two months. A rethink on the use of pellet guns was necessitated after its use was blamed for causing fatal injuries and blindness among protesters during the recent unrest in Kashmir. Last week, Rajnath while speaking in the Parliament had rejected apprehensions of some…

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Drugs supplied to hospitals in J&K not tested before given to patients: CAG report

Editor

Putting lives of patients at risk, the J&K government has been approving use of medicines in hospitals without any quality check, an official report has revealed. In its latest report, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has brought to fore some damning revelations on how patients’ health is being compromised due to absence of a drug testing policy in Jammu and Kashmir. “The audit revealed that no policy mechanism was in place for testing of drugs before these are administered to patients,” reads the report which was tabled in…

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Patients at risk as ‘lethal’ injection supplied under ‘non-lethal’ tag

Editor

Anesthesia drug available as ‘muscle relaxant’ in govt hospitals The patients are facing life-threat at government-run hospital as the Jammu and Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation (JKMSC) has supplied a huge stock of lethal Anesthesia drug to the health institutions under non-lethal tag. The drug ‘Sodium Thiopentone’, which is commonly used in Critical Care Department of a hospital to induce general anesthesia, has been supplied as ‘synthetic muscle relaxant’ by JKMSCL. The drug vial of ‘Sodium Thiopentone’ (Batch number Bio 16165) manufactured by M/s Health Biotech Ltd, Nalagarh Road, Baddi-Solan Himachal…

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